It is well known in the art of barbecue grills to provide a grill having a bottom body portion or fire box and an upper body portion or hood hingeably connected thereto, such as illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,989,579; 3,653,370; 3,605,718; D276,491; and D323,952. These grills typically have hinges connecting the rear of the fire box and the rear of the hood, allowing the hood to pivot upwardly and rearwardly with respect the fire box.
It is also known to connect a hood to a grill with a top hinge, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. D266,540.
In general, because of the location of these hinges, and the excessive weight of the cast aluminum or other metal hoods which they support, particularly in an open hood position, these hinges are subject to extreme stress and potential for metal fatigue. Additionally, because these hinges are typically exposed, they are subject to the elements and all attending corrosive forces. The hinges of the prior art also frequently require a full complement of hinge pins, screws, clips, and the like which are easily lost, are subject to corrosion, and often succumb to the severe stresses placed on the rear mounted hinge previously discussed.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,605,718 discloses a grill having an integrally formed hinge which rotatably supports the cover on the casing for rotation from a closed position to an open position. This hinge, however, is likewise attached at the rear of the grill, where it is subject to the extreme forces exerted by the opened grill hood, requiring relatively large support brackets. Additionally, this hinge is not shielded from external contaminants.
An additional disadvantage of grills having hoods hinged to the rear of the grill is the moment created about the grill itself by virtue of the cantilevered hood. This moment can cause post-mounted grills to lean rearwardly from their anchoring point, and creates a potential imbalance for portable grills and a possibility of tipping.
Accordingly, an advance in the art could be realized if an improved integrally formed hinge mechanism could be developed.
Another improvement in the art could be realized if an improved barbecue grill hood hinge could be developed that avoids the need for attachment of the hinge to the rear of the grill. Still another improvement in the state of the art could be realized if an improved grill hinge could be developed minimizing the cantilevering effect of an open hood pivotally connected to the rear of the grill.
Yet another improvement in the art could be realized if a hood hinge that is shielded from external contaminants could be developed.